Pack Up + Go
Pack Up + Go is a Pittsburgh-based surprise travel agency, founded in 2016, that plans human-curated domestic US vacations where the destination is revealed shortly before departure. It serves individual travelers across 300+ destinations via a direct-to-consumer booking platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersPittsburgh, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Pack Up + Go does
Pack Up + Go is a privately held, Pittsburgh-based surprise travel agency founded in 2016 that plans curated domestic vacations for individual US travelers where the destination is withheld until shortly before departure. Customers complete a Pre-Trip Survey capturing preferences, travel history, dislikes, and mobility requirements, select travel dates and a budget, and human travel planners (the company explicitly avoids AI for itinerary creation) match them to one of 300+ US destinations, then mail a physical "surprise envelope" with itinerary, weather forecast, packing guidance, and reservations approximately one week before departure. Five trip formats are offered: Plane Trips (starting at $1,000/person), Road Trips (starting at $500/night), You Pick Trips (starting at $500/night, customer selects the city), Outdoors Plane Trips, and Outdoors Road Trips.
The underlying technology stack is intentionally low-tech and human-driven: a structured Pre-Trip Survey acts as the matching input, supplier relationships with 12+ major US airlines and 20+ hotel chains provide inventory, Stripe processes payments, and USPS Priority Mail delivers the physical reveal envelope. The company holds IATA accreditation (number 39720833) and is an associate of WorldVia Travel Group, licensing it to sell travel in all 50 states.
The business model combines a 25% service fee on top of traveler-set trip budgets with booking commissions from airlines and hotels (enabled by IATA and WorldVia credentials), an optional Peace of Mind Refund Assurance add-on priced at 10% of trip budget, and ancillary revenue from digital gift cards and standalone destination guides. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the company's own booking platform (travel.packupgo.com), supplemented by the Cloud 9 Club referral/loyalty program, a Travel Advisor reseller channel, a co-marketing partnership with YOTEL hotels, and installment financing through Affirm. The company serves individual travelers across segments including spontaneous US travelers, celebration travelers (honeymoons, anniversaries, birthdays), accessibility-focused travelers, solo travelers, and gift recipients, with 45,000+ travelers served to date.
Pack Up + Go firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pack Up + Go
- Legal name
- Pack Up + Go, LLC
- Website
- https://packupgo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pack Up + Go is a Pittsburgh-based surprise travel agency, founded in 2016, that plans human-curated domestic US vacations where the destination is revealed shortly before departure. It serves individual travelers across 300+ destinations via a direct-to-consumer booking platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pack Up + Go industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Agency Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Custom Itinerary Planning with Booking & Fulfillment (Full-Service) (THAKAOAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Adventure & Expedition Custom Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAC), Group & Small-Group Custom Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAF)
Keywords
Where Pack Up + Go is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pittsburgh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pack Up + Go business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Trip Planning Service Fee: Pack Up + Go charges a 25% service fee on top of travel budget. This covers the human planning services, destination matching, itinerary creation, and coordination with suppliers. Leftover budget after flights, accommodations, and service fee goes toward add-ons like Uber gift cards, restaurant gift cards, or museum tickets.
- Travel Booking Margins: As an IATA-accredited travel agency and associate of WorldVia Travel Group, Pack Up + Go earns commissions from airline and hotel bookings through established supplier relationships.
- Peace of Mind Refund Assurance: Optional add-on priced at 10% of total trip budget. Provides guaranteed refunds for cancellations, no change fees, and unexpected cost coverage up to 2x the policy amount.
- Cloud 9 Club Referral Program: Loyalty/referral program where past travelers earn points for referring friends and family. Points can be redeemed for discount promo codes on future trip purchases.
- Affirm Payment Plans: Partnership with Affirm to offer installment payment plans for trip purchases, enabling customers to spread costs over time.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Plane Trips starting at $1,000 per person |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Road Trips starting at $500 per night |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Outdoors Road Trips starting at $500 per night |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | You Pick Trips starting at $500 per night |
| Subscription | One time | Peace of Mind Refund Assurance at 10% of trip budget |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Pack Up + Go product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pack Up + Go is a surprise travel agency that plans curated domestic vacations within the United States. Customers complete a Pre-Trip Survey and select dates and budget; human travel planners then match them to an undisclosed destination and arrange flights (or driving routes), accommodations, and at least one activity, with the destination revealed via email and a physical "Surprise Envelope" mailed before departure. The service is offered across five trip types — Plane Trips, Road Trips, You Pick Trips, Outdoors Plane Trips, and Outdoors Road Trips — with optional add-ons including Peace of Mind Refund Assurance, gift cards, and a referral loyalty program.
Product overview
Pack Up + Go is a surprise travel agency that operates as a single unified product with multiple trip type variations and optional add-on services. The core offering is the surprise vacation planning service where human travel planners match travelers to destinations based on preferences submitted via a pre-trip survey. Five distinct trip types serve different travel preferences: Plane Trips (air travel + hotels), Road Trips (driving vacations), You Pick Trips (customer-selected cities with surprise activities), Outdoors Plane Trips (air travel + outdoor accommodations), and Outdoors Road Trips (driving + nature-focused stays). Optional add-ons include Peace of Mind Refund Assurance for trip protection and a referral program for repeat customers. The company differentiates itself by using human planners rather than AI for trip curation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Plane Trips Surprise vacation packages that include flight reservations and accommodation bookings to a surprise U.S. destination roughly three hours away by air. Plane Trips start at $1,000 per person and include at least one pre-planned activity, curated recommendations, and the surprise destination reveal. Targeted at U.S. individual travelers and couples seeking effortless domestic leisure travel.
- Road Trips Surprise driving vacations with accommodation reservations at hotels or bed & breakfasts, typically 3-6 hours from the traveler's origin. Road Trips start at $500 per night and include driving directions, pit stop recommendations, and at least one pre-planned activity. Targeted at U.S. travelers who prefer to drive.
- You Pick Trips Travel packages where the customer selects the destination city while all other elements — accommodations, dinner reservations, curated recommendations, and a guaranteed surprise attraction or experience ticket — are arranged by Pack Up + Go. Pricing starts at $500 per night; travel to the destination is not included.
- Outdoors Plane Trips Surprise air travel packages combined with car rental and outdoor-themed accommodations such as cabins, glamping tents, yurts, bed & breakfasts, boutique hotels, or inns, including curated outdoor recommendations and activities near the destination. Targeted at U.S. travelers seeking nature-focused getaways.
- Outdoors Road Trips Driving vacations featuring outdoor-focused accommodations including cabins, glamping tents, yurts, bed & breakfasts, boutique hotels, or inns, with running water, bathrooms, bedding linens, and electricity included. Pricing starts at $500 per night, with outdoor recommendations and activities curated for the destination.
- Gift Cards Digital gift cards that can be purchased and applied toward Pack Up + Go trip bookings. Gift cards can be combined with promotional discounts but cannot be purchased using Pack Up + Go Digital Gift Cards. Targeted at gift-givers and travelers buying credits for personal use.
- Peace of Mind Refund Assurance Optional add-on protection policy priced at 10% of the total trip budget that allows travelers to change trip dates or cancel for any reason up until departure, with guaranteed refunds of 100% (4+ weeks out), 80% (72 hours to 4 weeks), or 75% (within 72 hours), no change fees, and coverage for unexpected cost increases up to 2x the policy amount.
- Destination Guides Digital travel guides for various U.S. destinations that can be purchased separately from Pack Up + Go trip bookings, providing curated recommendations and city-specific information.
- Cloud 9 Club Referral Program Loyalty and referral program where past travelers earn Pack Up + Go Points by referring friends or family who book trips. Points can be redeemed for discount codes on future bookings and expire after 24 months if not redeemed.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 45,000 travelers have used Pack Up + Go services
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Pack Up + Go
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pack Up + Go technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability1 record
Feature4 records
Pack Up + Go partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- YOTELcoreYOTEL has partnered with Pack Up + Go to offer travelers a spontaneous domestic travel experience within the United States, combining YOTEL's hotel properties with Pack Up + Go's surprise travel service. Guests complete a pre-trip survey to personalize their experience, but the destination remains unknown until a reveal email arrives prior to departure.
- WorldVia Travel GroupcorePack Up + Go is an associate of WorldVia Travel Group, licensed to sell travel in all states. This partnership provides access to industry resources, supplier relationships, and industry credentials.
- StripecoreStripe handles all payment processing and refunds for Pack Up + Go. All transactions are handled online via packupgo.com or travel.packupgo.com, with credit card processing completed securely through Stripe.
- Airlines (Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Breeze Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin America, Sun Country Airlines, Amtrak)corePack Up + Go books transportation with major US carriers including Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines/American Eagle, Breeze Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Jetblue, Sun Country Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines/United Express, Virgin America, and Amtrak.
- Hotels (21C Museum Hotels, Ace Hotels, Belmond, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Hilton, Hyatt, Kimpton, Marriott, Omni, and 20+ more)corePack Up + Go books accommodations with major hotel chains and boutique properties including 21C Museum Hotels, Ace Hotels, Belmond Hotels, Fairmont Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels, Hotel Indigo, Hilton Hotels, Hyatt Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Joie de Vivre Hotels, Kimpton Hotels, The Langham Hotels, Loews Hotels, Magnolia Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Omni Hotels + Resorts, Sofitel Hotels, Sonesta Hotels, Warwick Hotels, Wyndham Hotels, and independently owned boutique hotels and B&Bs.
- GetawayminorFeatured outdoors accommodation partner with 13 tiny house cabin options throughout the US, offering unique cabin rental experiences for Pack Up + Go Outdoors trips.
- Under CanvasminorFeatured glamping partner with locations near major national parks including Acadia, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Great Smoky Mountains, and Mount Rushmore for luxury camping experiences.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pack Up + Go competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Klook: Klook is a global travel activities and services booking platform—comparable to Pack Up + Go on the activities/curated-experiences layer of trip planning but operating at international scale.
- TourRadar: TourRadar operates an online marketplace for multi-day guided tours—directly comparable to Pack Up + Go's tour-operator function but serving global, multi-day guided experiences.
- Viator: Viator (owned by Tripadvisor) is a broad tour and experience marketplace that books packaged activities and tours globally—overlapping with Pack Up + Go's tour planning and activity curation functions but at much larger scale.
- Hopper: Hopper is an online travel platform selling flights, hotels, and packaged trips—overlapping with Pack Up + Go on the consumer-facing booking and trip-deal side of the business with significantly larger scale.
- GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide is a global marketplace for tours, attractions, and curated experiences—overlapping with Pack Up + Go on the activities and tours component of trip planning at a much broader scale and footprint.
Direct peers
- Kensington Tours: Kensington Tours creates custom, fully-planned luxury and experiential trips tailored to individual preferences—closely aligned with Pack Up + Go's custom itinerary planning and human planner approach.
- Under Lucky Stars: Under Lucky Stars is a surprise/mystery travel company that reveals destinations only at departure—operating in the same surprise-travel niche as Pack Up + Go with a similar booking and reveal mechanic.
- Magical Mystery Tours: Magical Mystery Tours is a surprise/mystery trip operator offering mystery destination getaways—directly comparable to Pack Up + Go's surprise reveal mechanic and trip planning model.
- Audley Travel: Audley Travel designs bespoke, human-curated trips for travelers seeking personal, expert-planned itineraries—directly comparable to Pack Up + Go's model of matching travelers with destinations via expert planners.
Emerging players
- Vacayou: Vacayou is a wellness and experience-focused travel platform that curates themed trip packages for niche segments—comparable in custom-planned curated trips for celebration and accessible trip types served by Pack Up + Go.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pack Up + Go social profiles
Digital presencePack Up + Go financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pack Up + Go leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Pack Up + Go funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pack Up + Go M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pack Up + Go
What does Pack Up + Go do?
Pack Up + Go is a surprise travel agency that plans curated domestic vacations within the United States. Customers complete a Pre-Trip Survey and select dates and budget; human travel planners then match them to an undisclosed destination and arrange flights (or driving routes), accommodations, and at least one activity, with the destination revealed via email and a physical "Surprise Envelope" mailed before departure. The service is offered across five trip types — Plane Trips, Road Trips, You Pick Trips, Outdoors Plane Trips, and Outdoors Road Trips — with optional add-ons including Peace of Mind Refund Assurance, gift cards, and a referral loyalty program.
Is Pack Up + Go a public or private company?
Pack Up + Go is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pack Up + Go founded?
Pack Up + Go was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pack Up + Go based?
Pack Up + Go is headquartered in Pittsburgh, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pack Up + Go make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Trip Planning Service Fee is the primary driver. The others are travel Booking Margins, peace of Mind Refund Assurance, cloud 9 Club Referral Program and affirm Payment Plans.
Who are Pack Up + Go's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Klook, TourRadar, Viator, Hopper and GetYourGuide. Direct peers are Kensington Tours, Under Lucky Stars, Magical Mystery Tours and Audley Travel. Vacayou is listed as an emerging player.
Does Pack Up + Go have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pack Up + Go.
What industry is Pack Up + Go in?
Pack Up + Go's product category is Travel Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAOAO, Custom Itinerary Planning with Booking & Fulfillment (Full-Service), with a secondary code of THAKAOAC, Adventure & Expedition Custom Itinerary Planning. Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 7900.